David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ. Jesus was often called "Son of David."

Unification of Israel - King David was able to accomplish something that remained elusive to King Saul: unify Israel. Previous to David’s kingship, Israeli tribes had been held together as a loose confederacy, but as recounted in 2 Samuels, tribe elders -- who held great esteem for David -- came together and chose David as their leader: “When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.”

Conquering Jerusalem - Although David was anointed king in Hebron (2 Samuels 5:3), he established the walled city of Jerusalem as the capital of his kingdom. It was one of David’s greatest accomplishments as king and one of the first actions he took as ruler of Israel. To this day, Jerusalem remains Israel’s most sacred and holy city. Prior to the capturing of Jerusalem, the Hebrew Bible, which also refers to Jerusalem as “Jebus,” describes the city as a strong fortress occupied by a Canaanite tribe, the Jebusites (Judges 1:21).

The Ark - Although it is King David’s son, Solomon, who builds Israel’s first temple, King David brings the “ark of God,” or the Ark of the Covenant -- a wooden chest holding the original two tablets of Jewish law -- to Jerusalem, which David established as the capital of Israel. This sets the foundation for the building of Israel’s first temple in Jerusalem, as a single Jewish place of worship becomes recognized and established in Israel’s capital. Under David, Jerusalem would not only become the political capital of Israel, but also its religious center.

Defeated an incredible number of enemies. Successfully eliminated the surrounding competition, including Amalekites, Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, and Ammonites.

He inquires about who she is and she is told that she is the wife of one of his generals - Uriah the Hittite

David sends for her and sleeps with her

As a result of that, she gets pregnant

She tells David and he masterminds a plan to get her husband to think the child is his.

When that does not work he comes up with a plan to have her husband killed.

David married Bathsheba and she bore him a son.

Verses 26-27

Why did he fall? (Verse 1)

David Isolated himself from the only group of men that had access to him or influence over him

Dangers of Isolation:

Sin

Emotional Struggles

Poor Decisions

Main Point: Growth happens in the context of relationships. Disaster happens in the context of isolation.

How did he recover? 2 Samuel 2:1-7a

David had many wives, Uriah had one.

He was confronted by someone who had influence with him - a man of God.

Nathan uses a parable to help David see his sin.

The results of David’s sin are enormous, including the death of the child that was conceived in deceit.

How do we build and maintain healthy relationships?

Different types of relationships?

One on One

Groups

Family

Online

Professional

Why? We were created for community - we are relational beings. God created us to be in community with each other

Enemies of helpful relationships

Comfort keeps us from entering relationships that foster growth

Anger leads to isolation. Anger makes us resent other people and want to be alone but ironically being alone only exacerbates the problem. Anger also causes others to avoid relationships with us

The myth of self reliance. Autonomy is an unworthy goal.

Technology keeps us from entering into relationships

Questions you used to have to find someone to get answered and only a google search away from being answered.

Technology consumes time that would otherwise be spent on relationships

How about Livestreaming church services? Our livestream should only be there to be a way to stay connected when a legitimate issue would have kept you from attending the Gathering in person. It should not be part of the reason that you do not attend in person.

Livestreaming because you are sick, out of town, etc is exactly why we do it.

Also so people can see who we are so they can decide to visit.

Livestreaming so you can watch on the way to the beach and get there earlier is not a good reason.

Livestreaming so you can sleep an extra half hour is not a good reason.

Livestreaming because you are having a bad hair day is not a good reason.

Characteristics of Healthy Relationships:

Honesty

Investment by both parties

Candor - Honesty on steroids

Gratitude

Individual Relationships vs. Couple relationships.

Where do we find candidates for healthy relationships?

West Pines

The Gathering

Comm Groups

WPMM/WPWM

Serving Teams

Work

Have lunch with someone and get to know them outside work conversations

Volunteer to serve on teams outside your normal duties

Look for someone that had the job you want and attempt to get to know them

Neighbors

How easy would it be to have a growth relationship with someone who lives on your street?

Accountability - Are you willing to give people who don’t work for you and don't need anything from you access to you?

Proverbs 27:17

Key Questions:

What are some of the stories of David that you remember?

How many of David’s successes can you relate to him being in helpful relationships?

What was Bathsheba’s responsibility in this situation?

Why do we sometimes think we can solve our problems in isolation?

What are some current examples of famous people failing as a result of isolation?

Put yourself in Nathan’s shoes. How would you have handled that confrontation?

Who are some of the people in your life that serve in the Nathan role?

Why do we choose comfort over strategy when constructing our circle of friends?

Why does growth happen more predictably in the context of relationships?

Why do we avoid relationships even when we know they will be helpful and rewarding?

What type of relationships do you find the most rewarding?

How do we find prospective members of the circles of our life that will help us grow and avoid disaster?

Where will you focus your attention this week to build helpful relationships?